Imagine being told it’s illegal to arrange a counseling session for your sexually confused young son or daughter.
That Orwellian type of prohibition exists in more than two dozen states, including full bans in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin.
On Tuesday, the United States Supreme Court will hear arguments challenging Colorado’s version of just such a ban. Our friends at Alliance Defending Freedom are handling the case. It’s called Chiles v. Salazar and features the muzzling of Christian counselor Kaley Chiles.
Chiles has degrees in biblical studies and psychology. She graduated from Denver Seminary and currently lives and practices in Colorado Springs. For the past ten years, she’s been helping young people with various addictions, including, up until 2019, unwanted same-sex attraction and gender dysphoria.
That changed after a Colorado law banned counselors from saying or doing anything that doesn’t “affirm” a child’s sexual confusion. It’s censorship in its purest form but many radical states, despite preaching tolerance, have no problem shutting down the free speech of Christian counselors.
Chiles has boldly and courageously faced the harassment and discrimination with great poise.
“It seemed like an invasion for the state to kind of be peering into our private counseling sessions,” Chiles observed. “My speech is being censored because my clients are not able to see me and make certain goals that the state does not endorse.”
The counselor’s main lawyer agrees.
“Colorado’s law allows counselors to push kids down the path of gender transition, often leading to harmful drugs and surgeries,” stated Alliance Defending Freedom Chief Legal Counsel Jim Campbell.
Campbell will be arguing the case on Tuesday on behalf of children and parents eager for mental health therapy in line with their values.
“It doesn’t allow compassionate counselors like Kaley to talk with kids to help them accept their bodies—even when that is their express goal and they have voluntarily sought Kaley out for advice.”
He continued, “Colorado is picking sides, promoting gender ideology, and banning conversations it dislikes. We are hopeful the Supreme Court will uphold counselors’ freedom of speech and young people’s ability to set their own goals of living at peace with their bodies.”
Chiles remains hopeful and determined ahead of her hearing before the High Court.
“Colorado’s law harms kids and censors speech,” she recently said. “I’m hopeful the Supreme Court will do the right thing—for me, other counselors, and most importantly, kids everywhere.”
As written and passed, Colorado law prohibits counselors from advising patients to change their “gender expressions or to eliminate or reduce sexual or romantic attraction or feelings toward individuals of the same sex.”
In Tuesday’s oral arguments, the “right thing” involves allowing what was commonplace for generations – moms and dads guiding and directing their children to seek perspective and help from a licensed counselor who shares the family’s Christian convictions and worldview.
Chiles’ optimism in the eventual outcome is well placed. In recent years, 5-4 or 6-3 majorities have consistently upheld free speech rights, political speech and commercial speech.
Under the current Colorado law, counselors who have the audacity to counsel according to biblical truth can be fined up to $5000 and even lose their counseling license.
There’s a lot at stake on Tuesday. Please join us in praying for Kaley Chiles, ADF attorneys and a receptive Supreme Court who will find that counseling therapy is protected free speech.
Image credit: ADF
